When the MCU released Captain Marvel in 2019, fans were excited to finally have a film focused on a female protagonist. However, though doing quite well financially as well as among critics, the movie doesn't have the greatest reputation among MCU lovers and is generally seen as one of its weaker entries. This comes down to a few reasons, some pretty valid, but one of the big ones is the character of Captain Marvel herself.
The first Captain Marvel movie is very much an origin story in the traditional sense. There's a lot of backstory and a lot of explanation, it's a very story-driven movie in general, but besides facts about her past, there isn't a ton of information given about who Carol Danvers really is. The focus is very much on what she's been through, what she's going through, and how strong she is. It's about all of the things happening to her and not about her character. Fans don't feel like they know her the same way they do the other characters. That's not necessarily shade to her character as she's been in way fewer movies than most of the other Marvel heroes, but it does make it hard to get attached.
When Captain Marvel viewers weren't a fan of the titular character, they were at least hoping to get to know her a bit more in her next MCU appearance, Avengers: Endgame. Unfortunately, she ended up hardly being in the film and when she was it was more of the same. Still quite flat, a little overpowered, and seemingly mostly there to serve as the super-strong female character that aided a cool girl power moment. It was still disappointing. People who weren't fans and didn't want her in the MCU were certainly not going to be swayed by it, and people who are Captain Marvel fans were left still waiting for the real character to shine and not just "generic superhero woman" to be what she is.
With the second Captain Marvel installment set to come out in 2022, there is a chance to fix this and make something great. Having a great female protagonist with a main storyline is something people still want, they just want it done differently. It's a situation reminiscent to some of the other heroes in the franchise, namely Captain America. The first Captain America film, Captain America: The First Avenger, showed so much of his origin that the character development just was not there. However, his next two films in the franchise are some of the most loved and he's one of the most popular Avengers. This shows that there is the possibility to fix this character.
As previously mentioned, Carol Danvers is so far just a generic, incredibly powerful, hero with very little personality. She's essentially a blank slate that they can do anything with at this point. While making her extremely powerful and strong is, in general, a good thing and good for strong female representation, it's right now basically her only characteristic and it isn't one that people are easily able to identify with. That means people aren't connecting with her, and it's especially apparent when other characters are so developed.
To fix this problem, Captain Marvel 2 not only needs to give Carol some personality but also some flaws. Right now she seems to have none. She has only the purest intentions all of the time, and the only time she fails to help in a fight is when she is not there. Literally, they've set her up in a way so far where the only reason she doesn't fix every issue on her own is that she is busy doing other things. The next film needs to fix that because it makes her seem so one-dimensional. Her conflict in the first film was a pretty deep one, and she was questioning who he was and what her upbringing had taught her. It's a good start, but they didn't take it far enough. She needs a conflict that more deeply questions her morals, and makes her more vulnerable.
The way Carol is written now can come off as a little patronizing to people who are looking for better female characters within the MCU, and the superhero genre in general. All that the strong and flawless and beautiful superhero woman idea does, is make her someone that no women or people can relate to at all. Her powers are so strong and they can stay that way, but right now she seems to hide behind them and that prevents her from having any real substance. The next conflict she goes through needs to be one that penetrates her powers and makes the character really delve within herself and who she is. Giving her flaws and a personality is not only going to make her a better character, but it'll make for better films within the MCU and give fans representation they can really identify with.